Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them

Product Description

In the United States, a majority of students graduate below proficiency in all academic subjects. Parents of struggling students feel overwhelmed and confused about how to help their children simply survive school, let alone succeed. Various school reform efforts have been tried and all have failed. But all hope is not lost. A science exists that allows children to learn as individuals even though at school they are educated in groups. One that avoids senseless labels that sentence children to lifetimes of failure and mediocrity.
Dr. Kimberly Berens and a team of scientists have spent the last 20 years perfecting a powerful system of instruction based on the learning, behavioral, and cognitive sciences that they call Fit Learning. This method of teaching has been proven to markedly improve how students understand and achieve, even for children who have been told they have learning disabilities or other disorders that interfere with their ability to learn.
Blind Spots reveals the history of our broken education system and shows that by using this teaching system in the classroom, we can unlock the vast potential hidden within every child.

Review

“Kimberly Berens has written a book about education that every teacher, every policymaker, and every parent should read. In a warm and engaging way, she shows us how much more effectively we could be teaching our children. She addresses common myths that have been standing in the way of effective teaching. Then she describes a set of carefully researched approaches to teaching that can help every child learn. If you are a teacher that is not satisfied with how much your students are learning, this book could change your life. If you are a policymaker who is dedicated to seeing that every child succeeds, this book has the information you need to advance learning. If you are a parent, this book will tell you what to look for in your children’s schools and how to advocate for the teaching practices that Dr. Berens describes.” —Dr. Anthony Biglan, Author of
The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior can Improve Our Lives & Our World

“[Dr. Berens] debunks many popular myths that pervade current educational practices […] This is a book that should be read by every parent, school board member, administrator, and teacher.” —Matt Circoria, Host of The Behavioral Observations Podcast 

“This book is marvelously written but it is not easy to read. It’s infuriating how much our educational, governmental, and medical establishments have failed our children. Fortunately, Kim Berens also shows how we can correct that dismal situation once we focus on the behavioral science of learning. The problem is not the kids, nor their brains, personalities, or learning styles. The problem is the teaching. I’ve sent three of my kids, all “gifted,” to Fit Learning and if you read this book you’ll know why. Highly recommended.” —Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D., Foundation Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada

“Kimberly Nix Berens has written a straightforward and highly readable book about the failure of our education system and what it is possible to achieve when science is at the heart of instruction. If it’s true that knowledge is power, then all stakeholders in American education would do well to arm themselves with the information imparted in
Blind Spots.” —Cathy L. Watkins, Ph.D., Professor Emerita at California State University, Stanislaus

“Video games are very difficult to master, much more so than the typical classes taken by children in school. So why are so many children facile at video games and failures at school? This book sheds light on questions like this by exposing the mythologies that contaminate classroom teaching across the country. The makers of video games are not influenced by these mythologies; they use only what works. Dr. Berens position is that educators should do something similar: use only what works and let science lead the w